About Srishti…
Srishti Dance Company is an endeavour by Sabbitha to teach Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form that reflects the culture of India at its best. Not only does Srishti help its students to explore and seek training in this traditional dance form, but is an institution that helps to impart the core values of discipline, dedication and perseverance, which are key to success !
Unlike other forms of arts, a dancer has to match the stance , the Hasta and the facial expression, word to word with the musical composition. The ultimate object of art is not the display of talents. The art, to be
called so, must touch the hearts of the audience – be it music or dance. Srishti would like to impart the knowledge of the art of Natya, not with a commercial objective, but to treat it as a Yoga which combines spiritual, emotional and physical experiences. Sabbitha Manu
Sabbitha Manu hails from Chennai, India, Sabbitha is a teacher and a performer par excellence.Her passion for dancing took over her from the tender age of five. Initially she had her training in dance from Guru “Natyacharya" Shri Aravindan and Smt. Vasantha Aravind of Kalakshetra She undertook advanced training under the able tutalage of Guru Shri Udupi Laxminarayana and learnt the Pandanallur style, the speciality of which lies in its lasya or feminity. It is a purely feminine dance style that involves moving the body in great speed while dancing. She completed a nattuvangam course (art of teaching) and is a certified Iyal Isai Nataka Manram Nattuvanar. She was a recipient of the Iyal Isai Nataka Manram scholarship for dance and had performed all over Tamilnadu and also under the auspices of prestigious Sabhas like the Music Academy, Karthik Fine Arts, Mylapore Fine Arts, Bharat Kalachar, Chennai. She had also performed at the Natyanjali festival that was celebrated at Chidambaram. Sabbitha used to play a lead role in the "Guru Charana Smaranam" festivities and programs conducted every year by Guru Shri Udupi Laxminarayana to mark the anniversary of his school Natyamanjari. Sabbitha also performed in Melbourne, Australia in the year 2006 under the banner of Chandrabanu’s Bharatalaya academy, one of the top dance schools in Australia, delighting rasikas and critics. About Bharatanatyam…
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form of South India, said to be originated in Thanjavoor of Tamil Nadu. This ancient traditional art form with its origins steeped in divinity is by itself divided into three categories, which are the pure dance ‘NRTTA’ , 'NRITYA' and 'NATYA'. Nritta is a pure dance without any emotions, expressions or sahityam. Nritya has sahityam ( a sentence which means something). It has emotions, expressions and has a meaning shown by the hastas. Natya is when a person is portraiting a character, typically depicted in padams. This famous sloka can be used to portray the essense of the technique of this beautiful art form:
” Yatho Hasta Thatho Drishti, Yatho Drishti Thatho Manah,
Yatho Manah Thatho Bhaava, Yatho Bhaava Thatho Rasa “
This can be roughly translated as follows…
Where the hands(hasta) are, go the eyes (drishti); where the eyes are, goes the mind(mana);
where the mind goes, there is an expression of inner feeling (Bhava) and where there is bhava, mood or sentiment(rasa) is evoked.
